Australian fires fuel koala love

The devastating Australian wildfires have claimed over 180 lives so far, countless homes and countryside. Most of the news I’ve read on the fires has been heartbreaking to say the least. But this morning I found a story that was heart-warming.

Volunteer fire fighters came across a scared and badly burned koala bear in the forest southeast of Melbourne. They carefully approached her and offered her water from a plastic bottle. She reached for the firefighters hand and drank all that he offered. It was so beautiful to me. I’m going to include the YouTube video of her discovery to the bottom of this post. They named her Sam.

Two days earlier another koala was rescued and taken to a wildlife shelter. He was also burned but not quite as badly as Sam. They named him Bob. Three of Bob’s paws were burned but shelter workers believed he would be able to return to the wild in about four months. Sam’s recovery won’t be as easy. They believe it will be 7 - 8 months before she’s ready to return to her home in the bush.

The workers at the shelter said that Bob and Sam became quick friends. They put their arms around each other and kept giving each other hugs. There are approximately 20 koalas that have been brought to the shelter in recent days but Sam & Bob are by far the most popular. A County Fire Authority Victoria volunteer said “My heart goes out to the people in these fires and this was so innocent so people have used this to distract them from all the sad stuff that has gone on. It gives people a bit of hope.”

If you would like to help through donations, visit the Country Fire Authority Victoria website or the RSPCA website. Every little bit helps so if you can spare anything it would be a great help to the Australian people and the animals that lived in the now burned up bush.